In Retrospect
by JadeRent
Summary: Ichigo is pretty sure he was celebrating his birthday...but the details after are a bit fuzzy.


_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach._

* * *

In Retrospect

* * *

_July 16__th_

_Noon_

Ichigo awoke long before he opened his eyes. He was afraid of opening them for several reasons. The first was that he was sure he was suffering from a hangover. He'd never felt so sore in all his life. Every part of him was throbbing dully and he was positive that the slightest bit of movement or light would kill him instantly.

The second reason was that he wasn't sure of where he was. He could vaguely recognize that he was in a bed and that it was pretty comfortable, but this bed was definitely not his. The sheets felt silky and he was sprawled out further than his own smaller bed would allow.

This slowly led up to the third and most prominent reason that Ichigo refused to move. For the only reason he even recognized the sheets were made of silk in his practically comatose state of mind, was because of the fact his bare ass was resting on them. So he was lying in a foreign bed naked…and…he was not alone.

Again, if not for the fact that Ichigo was afraid any movement would be the death of him, he would have ran screaming as soon as he realized the predicament he was in. This was not a situation he'd ever run into before, or ever even thought possible to occur. He was a pretty straight-laced guy, and apparently until last night, he was very much a virgin.

While Ichigo's body attempted to fight off the hangover or let it eventually pass, his mind was working to figure out exactly what the hell had happened last night to bring him here.

The only thing he was clear about was that yesterday had been his birthday…

* * *

_July 15__th_

_10:00pm_

"Kanpai!" Everyone cheered as Ichigo sat surrounded by his shinigami friends in a busy bar in Rukongai.

"I can't believe you're only 22!" Matsumoto squealed as she attempted to ruffle Ichigo's hair. She didn't mind him swatting her hand away and continued prodding him. "You're so cute and young! You're even more of a baby than Taicho is!"

"Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya and Ichigo yelled their complaints together. There were a lot more people there than Ichigo had ever expected when Renji offered to take him out for birthday drinks. Seemed everyone's scheduled cleared up when there was a party to be had. Ichigo couldn't blame them though. When you lived for centuries with nothing to do but fight hollows and paperwork, any occasion to let loose was probably very welcome.

Such was the reason that for Ichigo's 22nd birthday he was not only surrounded by Renji, Rukia, Matsumoto, Ikkaku and the like, but there were also several of the more social—or the ones dragged by their lieutenants—captains in attendance and many people that Ichigo didn't even recognize.

"I can't even remember when I was a 100, forget about 22." Ikkaku slurred heavily.

Yumichika appraised him, wiggling his feathered eyebrow. "With as much sake as you've drunk, you probably can't even remember this morning."

"Damn right." Ikkaku fired right back.

Ichigo smiled at the exchange and leaned back to let everyone's antics entertain him. Ichigo normally didn't drink, but tonight he was pleasantly buzzed and enjoying everyone's company. Especially one person in particular.

Rukia was drunker than he'd ever seen, which honestly just meant that she was as buzzed as he was, but he'd never seen her quite so relaxed unless there was a Chappy something in the vicinity. She leaned against him and lifted her head to whisper in his ear so he could hear her above the noise. "Didn't I tell you this would be better than holing yourself up in your room?"

"Alright." Ichigo rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "I'll admit that this time you were right about something."

She leaned back and crossed her arms with a lazy pout. "I'm always right. Maybe when we celebrate your 220th birthday, you'll get the chance to be right about something too."

Ichigo put his arm around the back of her seat and leaned closer. "You'll be around to celebrate my 220th birthday?" he smirked lightly.

"If I don't kill you for doing something stupid before then." She smirked back.

A jug of sake slammed onto the table in front of them, causing both to jerk up. Renji was glaring at them, but the effect was diminished as his eyes were crossed. "You won't live to be 20 if you keep flirtin' like that with Kuchiki-taicho aroun'."

"He's 22 idiot!" Not to mention Kuchiki Byakuya was not one of the social captains aforementioned. Rukia flicked Renji's forehead, and she and Ichigo both laughed when Renji actually reeled back and stumbled to the floor.

Matsumoto poured more into their cups. "You two are much too reasonable. You need more sake."

Rukia picked up her cup daintily and rose an eyebrow. "I'll bet I can drink more than you." She challenged.

"Ha!" Ichigo barked. "You're probably full up to your waist already in booze. Two more jugs and it'll pour out of your eyes."

Rukia gasped in mock outrage. "I've been drinking since before your first scowl. Don't underestimate me brat."

Ichigo downed his cup and grabbed a full jug for each of them. "Bring it on midget!"

* * *

_July 16__th_

_1:15pm_

Ichigo had drifted off to sleep, or had potentially passed out again, but he hardly felt his hangover anymore so he felt relatively better. He had remembered pieces of what happened at his birthday party. His eyes were still closed but he began to realize that the person lying on top of him was most likely the same person who managed to beat him in that drinking contest and then flirt with him for the whole night.

Ichigo let a smile slowly form on his face and then lifted a hand to slowly brush the small shoulder nestled on his chest. He could imagine black hair, blue eyes with long lashes, and soft pale skin. Ichigo let his consciousness drift so he could remember more of the night before.

* * *

_July 15__th_

_12:40am_

"So Renji said, 'I didn't know you weren't supposed to eat it!'" Rukia finished and a roar of laughter lifted from their table so that even those passed out already could hear the good time they were having.

Renji however swayed and crossed his arms like a toddler. He did not appreciate Rukia telling the story of his first time at a petting zoo.

"It's not my fault!" He complained loudly. "I was hungry and they were just sitting there."

"So what do you do when you're horny?" Shuuhei joked.

Ichigo laughed so hard he almost dropped Rukia from her position on his lap. He wasn't quite sure whether it was after the third or fourth jug of sake that she'd ended up there, but neither seemed uncomfortable with their current location.

"Shut up Hisagi!" Renji whined. "Or I'll tell everyone that your cheek isn't the only place you've got a 69 tattooed on."

Rukia and Ichigo ducked under the table as a bar fight ensued. They both giggled uncharacteristically as crashes, thuds, and the occasional scream were going on above them.

"Now it's a party." Ichigo declared, absently tightening his hold on Rukia. She fidgeted to face him in his lap and looked up with a dark expression.

"But I haven't even given you my present yet." She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Ichigo grinned and leered at what he hoped she was implying. "Well what are you waiting for?" They leaned closer together, but a bright light shining down kept them from proceeding.

A bloody and shirtless Renji was pointing at them with a chair leg. "It's time for birthday spankings Ichigo! Get up and take it like a man!"

Ichigo and Rukia exchanged a look that read 'this isn't finished,' and she nodded back at him before grabbing his hand. "Run!" She yelled and they clumsily shunpoed first into a wall, and then eventually out of the bar with Renji on their heels.

* * *

_July 16__th_

_1:55pm_

'_So that's why my ass hurt so much._' Ichigo thought to himself.

He tried to remember more of the night before, but it got a little blurry. He knew things had went a little crazy after Kyoraku and Ukitake arrived with some sake candies they'd created, but Ichigo smiled and squeezed the small body next to him. The night didn't turn out badly for everyone.

* * *

_July 15__th_

_2:25am_

The party had gotten a _little_ out of hand.

Matsumoto had lost not only her top but somehow Hitsugaya's pants as well.

Kira had started serenading his former captain while sobbing hysterically.

Nanao was doing body shots with Kyoraku-taicho.

Shuuhei had left with the company of three women.

And Ikkaku had actually ripped off someone's arm because he imagined someone calling him bald.

Ichigo and Rukia however, were safe from the chaos and fairly busy with something else entirely.

"I'm really drunk." Ichigo panted as Rukia opened his uniform to lick at his chest.

"Me too." She admitted between wet kisses.

Ichigo groaned and pushed his hands into her uniform as well. "Just so long as we both understand that."

He pushed Rukia onto her back and planted his mouth on hers. In all the time he'd known Rukia and grown closer to her, they'd never expressed themselves like this before. It was inevitable though. They'd danced around each other for years and with the amount of sake they'd consumed, they finally had the extra push to take it further.

Ichigo wasn't regretting anything as Rukia wrapped her thighs around him and pulled him closer. Her tongue pushed against his and he could faintly taste the alcohol, but he was mostly intoxicated by her.

He pulled back to kiss her stomach and tickled her with his kisses. "I don't know where you packed away all that sake." He murmured into her skin. "You're so tiny."

Rukia let out a throaty laugh. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Then she cried out, "Don't tickle me!" when Ichigo gave her a raspberry. She slapped his face away and flipped them over so she was on top. But Ichigo only sat up and put his face against her chest with a groan.

"It's my birthday. I can tickle you if I want." He argued.

"Fine." Rukia said with a sigh as Ichigo's lips found her pulse point. "But if it were any other day of the year, I'd have you on your knees." She threatened airily with her hands threading his spikes.

Ichigo opened his mouth to argue that wasn't much of a threat, but instead paused when he heard footsteps.

Rukia put a finger to his lips before shirking off the rest of her shinigami outfit completely. Ichigo's eyes got wide as she smirked at him and pressed closer. "We're going to have to be really quiet." She shifted her hips and Ichigo's eyes fluttered under the pressure in his lap. "Happy birthday Ichigo." She whispered before silencing their groans with a deep kiss.

* * *

_July 16__th_

_2:10pm_

"Best birthday ever." Ichigo said quietly with a smile. By this time, Ichigo felt safe enough to open his eyes and found Rukia looking back at him. The smile he hadn't known was on his face broadened. "Morning." He said gruffly.

Rukia greeted him with a sultry smile of her own and nuzzled closer. "Morning birthday boy."

He narrowed his eyes playfully with a smirk. "I think it's fair to say I'm a birthday _man_." He replied.

Rukia chuckled. "I suppose so." She lifted a hand and rubbed her bed head softly with a groan. "Those sake candies from Ukitake-taicho were _potent_." She remarked. "I was thinking I'd give you a kiss for your birthday. Not all…" her eyes glanced at their naked state. "This."

"Mmm." Ichigo agreed. "It was more than I asked for. But like I said, best birthday ever."

They grinned at each other until a groan from _behind_ Ichigo sobered them up.

A tangled head of red hair and tattoos leaned over them groggily.

"Yo." Said an also naked Renji. "That was some party." He yawned leisurely. "We should do it again next year."

* * *

AN: Ahh, that was fun. I'm sorry, I just had to write a birthday-shot cause I've never done one before.


End file.
